WORLD CUP FANS FLAMES OF CRAWFISH CRAZE
Crustaceans prove a hit with those watching games in bars in Russia and China
Although China’s soccer team is missing from the ongoing 2018 FIFA World Cup, the country’s crawfish are representing it on the global stage during the tournament.
Hundreds of millions of the small red crustaceans are being served in bars and restaurants in Russia and China, as hunger can strike unexpectedly when staying up late to watch the games.
While most diners consume crawfish for pleasure, for Qu Yunxiao it’s strictly business.
With crawfish becoming a staple in Chinese homes and restaurants, quality control steps in. Qu’s job is to taste batches of crawfish soaked in chilli and pepper to ensure they are of a suitable standard.
The 25-year-old studied supply chain management at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom. Upon getting her master’s degree last year, she joined Xinliangji, a crawfish processing company in Central China’s Hubei province, as a professional taster.
Hubei alone accounts for 55 percent of the country’s crawny fish industry, with 1.13 million metric tons in annual output, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in June.
“Hear the job title professional crawfish taster, and you might picture someone who gorges on crawfish all day, taking nice breaks between bites and washing it down with a refreshing beer,” she said. “But the reality is, it’s not just about eating.”
In a typical work scenario, Qu assesses the products’ shape and color, identifies the multiple layers of tastes and textures of the cooked dish, records her findings and gives timely feedback to chefs.
“There are usually several things to watch out for: whether the frozen crawfish are well-preserved, whether they remain intact (especially the claws) after heating, and whether you can sense the numbing spiciness,” she said.
Just like taking perfume breaks between smelling different coffee beans in order to distinguish each separate flavor, Qu and her colleagues need to rinse their mouths using milk and pure water to cleanse their palates and increase their sensitivity for the next evaluation.
She said a superior sense of taste alone would not get her very far as a professional taster if she cannot properly express her findings in a report.
“For example, I cannot just say this batch tastes ‘bad’. I need to say ‘it’s a harsh bite or overly tongue-numbing’,” she said. “Learning how to describe the foods and their attributes is a key part of the role.”
At home, crawfish have become a firm match-day favorite among young soccer spectators. Since the games started on June 14, a total of 100 million crawfish have been sold via delivery compa- Eleme Inc, online supermarket Tmall, and restaurants tracked by local services portal Koubei, according to data from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, which owns the platforms.
Consumers spent on average 320 yuan ($48) for each crawfish order, data from Koubei showed. Diners born in the 1980s and 1990s contribute nearly 80 percent of late night dining expenses, most of which goes toward cooked crawfish.
The agriculture ministry said the fanfare reflects the booming business — from production to deliveries and restaurant dining — that was worth 268.5 billion yuan last year, representing 70 percent of all crawfish output worldwide.
For the monthlong soccer bonanza, Qu often works until 2 am. She consumes as much as 2.5 kilograms of crawfish on a daily basis, so much so that she confessed she avoids eating them during her leisure time — if she has any at all.
Xinliangji now employs about 50 professional crawfish tasters like Qu, who can earn the highest annual income of 600,000 yuan.
“It is beyond simply the sensory examination and evaluation of crawfish,” the company said. “Qualified tasters need to command knowledge in culinary skills, product control and supply chain management. It’s difficult to hire such talents.”